Supernatural thrillers usually deal in mystery, psychological tension, slow-burn narratives, and complex performances. They serve up the enthralling plots thrillers are known for, but weave in paranormal or fantastical elements, making them an offshoot or subcategory of horror. Rather than going for gore, mayhem, action, and jump scares, the best supernatural thrillers lean into more sophisticated themes, even as they keep the atmosphere creepy and the imagery disturbing.
With this in mind, this list looks at some of the must-watch movies in this subgenre. They range from classic ghost stories to macabre modern masterpieces, all sure to give the viewer goosebumps. From Don’t Look Now to The Sixth Sense, all of these films are iconic for a reason.
10
‘The Haunting’ (1963)
Directed by Robert Wise
“Silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.” Based on Shirley Jackson‘s seminal novel The Haunting of Hill House, this British horror brings a group of people together to investigate the paranormal activities in a mansion with a dark and tragic history. Dr. Markway (Richard Johnson) leads the group, which includes Eleanor (Julie Harris), a fragile woman with a troubled past, and Theodora (Claire Bloom), an enigmatic artist.
The movie stands out with its stark monochrome visuals, sudden camera movements, and unconventional angles. The Haunting is a masterclass in atmosphere, conjuring up a dreadful, oppressive mood. It’s also psychologically complex, delving deep into trauma, and remaining ambiguous as to whether the spirits are real or simply haunting the characters’ minds. As a result, while dated in some ways, The Haunting is still effective and worth checking out. It may be of particular interest to fans of Mike Flanagan‘s TV show drawing on the same source material.
The Haunting
- Release Date
-
August 22, 1963
- Runtime
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112 Minutes
- Director
-
Robert Wise
- Writers
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Nelson Gidding, Shirley Jackson
9
‘Angel Heart’ (1987)
Directed by Alan Parker
“The flesh is weak, Johnny. Only the soul is immortal.” Mickey Rourke leads this supernatural neo-noir mystery as Harry Angel, a private investigator hired by the enigmatic Louis Cyphre (Robert De Niro) to locate a missing singer named Johnny Favorite. But what begins as a routine investigation spirals into a nightmarish journey of occult rituals, hidden identities, and soul-shaking revelations. It was precisely this fusion of detective tropes with paranormal elements that drew director Alan Parker to the project, and he executes it with style.
The tone is grim and the shadows are all-consuming, taking visual cues from classic noir. The characters are similarly dark and damaged, most of all the morally conflicted Angel. Rourke delivers a riveting performance in the part; he’s especially good at conveying the character’s raw, tumultuous emotions. Although it opened to mixed reviews, Angel Heart went on to be influential. Christopher Nolan, for example, has cited it as an inspiration for his own use of fractured, nonlinear narratives.
Angel Heart
- Release Date
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March 6, 1987
- Runtime
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113 minutes
- Director
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Alan Parker
- Writers
-
Alan Parker
8
‘The Others’ (2001)
Directed by Alejandro Amenábar
“Sometimes the world of the living gets mixed up with the world of the dead.” A cerebral ghost story in the vein of The Haunting, The Others features Nicole Kidman as Grace Stewart, a devout and protective mother living in an isolated, light-deprived mansion with her two photosensitive children shortly after the end of World War II. When mysterious servants arrive and strange occurrences escalate, Grace begins to suspect that her family is not alone.
This is an artful horror, boasting sumptuous cinematography and a gorgeously eerie score. Director Alejandro Amenábar tells the story with care, prioritizing creeping dread over outright scares, resulting in a film suffused with hopelessness and unease. His handling of psychological tension and slow-burning terror is very much on display. Some of the third-act twists are a little unoriginal, if still startling, but, overall, The Others is an impressive achievement. Finally, Kidman’s believable performance holds it all together.
The Others
- Release Date
-
August 10, 2001
- Runtime
-
104 minutes
- Director
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Alejandro Amenábar
- Writers
-
Alejandro Amenábar
7
‘The Sixth Sense’ (1999)
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
“I see dead people.” The Sixth Sense‘s mega-success has given it a larger-than-life feel (something compounded by the rest of M. Night Shyamalan‘s highly variable filmography that followed), but, at its core, it’s simply a superbly constructed thriller. It features a creatively cast Bruce Willis as child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) alongside a solid Haley Joel Osment as a boy who can communicate with the dead. The movie would’ve failed completely if not for his grounded, layered performance.
The script is far above your average ghost story, earning Shyamalan an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. It treats the character complexly. They are real people rather than simply plot devices. The cinematography is also terrific, combining meticulous framing, assured camerawork, and rich shadows. Despite being mostly remembered for “I see dead people” and for the third-act twist, The Sixth Sense is a polished, confident blockbuster, quality entertainment for adults.
6
‘Don’t Look Now’ (1973)
Directed by Nicolas Roeg
“Nothing is what it seems.” This cult classic is a chilling meditation on grief and the supernatural, wrapped in a haunting mystery. The story centers on John (Donald Sutherland) and Laura Baxter (Julie Christie), a married couple struggling to cope with the tragic drowning of their young daughter. When they relocate to Venice for John’s work, they encounter two elderly sisters, one of whom claims to be psychic and insists their daughter is trying to communicate with them.
What follows is a visually striking puzzle, serving up memorable images like the red-coated stalker and several unsettling strangers. Don’t Look Now does an especially good job of capturing the couple’s desperation. They want so badly for their daughter to not be completely gone. The movie engages intelligently with these real-world horrors, and it still hits hard today. Not for nothing, Don’t Look Now was deeply influential, inspiring everyone from Ryan Murphy and Steven Soderbergh to Danny Boyle, Lars von Trier, and Steven Spielberg.
Don’t Look Now
- Release Date
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November 18, 1973
- Runtime
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110 minutes
- Director
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Nicolas Roeg
- Writers
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Daphne Du Maurier, Allan Scott, Chris Bryant
5
‘The Exorcist’ (1973)
Directed by William Friedkin
“What an excellent day for an exorcism.” Don’t Look Now established techniques and ideas that other directors mimicked, but The Exorcist exists on a whole other level in terms of its influence on horror. It’s about the young Regan (Linda Blair), who begins exhibiting terrifying behavior after playing with a Ouija board, and the people trying to save her soul. Friedkin uses this pulpy premise to craft a visceral, deeply human story of faith and redemption.
The Exorcist made history as the first horror to be nominated for Best Picture, and its undeniable quality still shines through today. This is a masterfully made movie, from the strong performances to the visuals (alternating between the beautiful and the repulsive) to the clever, twisted script. The film melds the propane with the everyday in impressive fashion, making this farfetched tale feel all too real. Finally, the scares are creative and intense, particularly Regan’s head-spinning and the infamous ‘spider walk’.
The Exorcist
- Release Date
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December 26, 1973
- Runtime
-
122 minutes
- Writers
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William Peter Blatty
- Prequel(s)
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Exorcist: The Beginning, Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist
4
‘Hereditary’ (2018)
Directed by Ari Aster
“She isn’t gone.” A modern classic, the harrowing Hereditary follows the Graham family, led by Annie (Toni Collette, in a fantastic performance), as they grapple with grief following the death of Annie’s mother. Strange and horrifying events unfold as dark family secrets come to light, culminating in a terrifying and tragic descent into madness and the supernatural.
Here, Ari Aster strikes a perfect balance between psychological depth and hair-raising scares, making this both a creepfest and an astute study of family trauma. The film is relentlessly bleak yet somehow still watchable, gripping the viewer from the beginning and never letting go. It’s still shockingly impressive this was the director’s debut. Hereditary towers over most 2010s horrors, laying down a formidable challenge to every other horror filmmaker out there. It’s a worthy heir to the likes of The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby. Fans should check out Aster’s similarly macabre, brilliant short films.
Hereditary
- Release Date
-
June 8, 2018
- Runtime
-
2h 7m
3
‘The Babadook’ (2014)
Directed by Jennifer Kent
“You can’t get rid of the Babadook.” The Babadook is another film that expertly themes of grief and maternal anxiety with supernatural horror. Essie Davis leads the cast as Amelia, a widowed mother struggling to raise her troubled son Samuel (Noah Wiseman). Their lives take a terrifying turn when they discover a mysterious pop-up book about a sinister creature. As the entity’s presence becomes increasingly real, Amelia’s grip on reality begins to slip.
Once again, an impressive child performance keeps the movie from becoming ridiculous, and Davis’s brilliant work as a woman pushed to the brink elevates this above other similar, more middling horrors. The characters are incredibly well-drawn thanks to the actors and the smart script, helping the audience become invested in their plight. Emotional depth is The Babdook‘s strength. This makes the frights hit all the harder. It helps that the monster is creatively designed; simple, striking, and very, very creepy.
The Babadook
- Release Date
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November 28, 2014
- Runtime
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94 Minutes
- Director
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Jennifer Kent
- Writers
-
Jennifer Kent
-
-
Noah Wiseman
Samuel Vanek
-
-
2
‘Carrie’ (1976)
Directed by Brian De Palma
“They’re all gonna laugh at you!” Brian De Palma was on a roll in the 1970s, producing a string of gems like Sisters, Phantom of the Paradise, and The Fury. The best of them is Carrie, his energetic, no-holds-barred adaptation of Stephen King‘s punchy debut novel. Sissy Spacek delivers a legendary performance as tormented outcast Carrie white, whose rage is unleashed on her small town after she develops telekinetic powers.
Piper Laurie is similarly great as Carrie’s fanatically religious mother (both she and Spacek received Oscar nods), while John Travolta also makes a memorable supporting appearance as Billy Nolan, one of Carrie’s worst bullies. The movie is only 98 minutes but crams in many stellar scenes, not least the bloody, fiery climax (referenced most notably by Quentin Tarantino in Inglourious Basterds‘s movie theater conflagration). Several sequels and remakes have followed, but none comes close to this version’s raw, talismanic power.
Carrie
- Release Date
-
November 3, 1976
- Runtime
-
98 minutes
- Director
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Brian De Palma
- Writers
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Lawrence D. Cohen
- Producers
-
Paul Monash
-
Piper Laurie
Margaret White
-
-
-
1
‘The Shining’ (1980)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Claiming the top spot on this list is, probably unsurprising, The Shining, another landmark within this genre. Jack Nicholson turns in one of his greatest performances as Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), a writer who takes a job as the winter caretaker of the isolated Overlook Hotel, bringing along his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and son Danny (Danny Lloyd). The family is soon placed in grave danger as the hotel sinks its dark influence into Jack.
The Shining fires on all cylinders, from the acting to the cinematography and set designs. The movie is dominated by mazes, labyrinthine corridors, endless hallways, and buildings that are bigger on the inside than out, creating a disorienting, uncanny feeling. Then there are the morbid, disturbing visuals, like the desiccated ghost woman Jack encounters in the bathroom. Here, Stanley Kubrick‘s dark genius runs riot, resulting in a supernatural thriller for the ages.
The Shining
- Release Date
-
June 13, 1980
- Runtime
-
146 minutes
- Director
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Stanley Kubrick
- Writers
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Diane Johnson, Stanley Kubrick
